Dementia Nurse Specialist | South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust

An exciting fixed term opportunity has arisen for a band 6 Community Psychiatric Nurse to work 3 days a week in the Richmond Community Older Peoples Service in the Memory Assessment Service for one year. This is an opportunity to be part of a dynamic multi-disciplinary team that assesses all referrals for old age adults with mental health needs and resident in the borough of Richmond.

This post will entail working as part of a well-established Multidisciplinary Team. The post holder will be required to offer support to patients in the MAS service, carrying out initial assessments and monitoring their response to prescribed dementia medication. Part of the role will be liaising with family and carers, other stakeholders such as GP's, local Authority, and other voluntary organisations to develop good relationships. The post holder will develop skills in assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and caseload management and know to appropriately feedback information to the MDT. They will liaise with GPs regarding initiating/increasing dementia medication and carry out discharges for patients who have completed their treatment with the service.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, positive, motivated, and highly committed individual with good communication skills, who can work with us to support the work of this vibrant team. We encourage applicants who are keen to develop their skills in assessment, monitoring and caseload management and who enjoy working autonomously but with the support of the team. You will work with a Recovery Model and be fully involved in MDT discussions.

The postholder will work closely with the team of doctors and be involved in carrying out initial assessments for patients and discussing diagnosis. They will also support to assess/determine what the individual's mental health needs are and identify potential risks to inform their care plan and develop a collaborative response to needs. They will liaise with GPs around initiating dementia medication. They will support and supervise junior staff to follow up to ensure patients are stable on their prescribed medication and carry out discharges in collaboration with the MDT.

They will act autonomously to identify and raise concerns including urgent/emergency situations and escalating to the Team Manager or Consultant as appropriate.

Have a weekly allocation of patients and carry out their initial assessments.

Demonstrate the skills to professionally communicate complex information to users and carers regarding bio-psychosocial problems in an empathetic and supportive way.

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to implement the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.

Leading and supporting/teaching junior staff on risk assessment and risk management that involves making decisions based on knowledge of the research evidence, knowledge of the individual service user and their social
context, knowledge of the service user's own experience and clinical judgment.

Advocating for service users' needs and rights within Trust policy. Encouraging and empowering service users to have an optimum level of responsibility for their individual programme of care.

Demonstrating an enhanced understanding of Mental Health signs and symptoms and an understanding of how these may present in practice including recognition of impact on patient presentation and behaviour including risk factors. Supporting and teaching junior staff to develop understanding of mental health signs and symptoms and develop appropriate responses to these in practice.

Recognising and responding appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies and training. Leading and coordinating junior staff and the wider care team in the management of difficult situations and de-escalation and
developing resilience and strategies to manage, including on leading staff and patient 'de-briefing' sessions.

Demonstrating a depth of knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty and other legislation applicable to the practice area and how they are implemented in practice ensuring adherence to legislation at all times. Teaching junior staff to understand the legal frameworks that support their practice.

Contributing to an effective communication process with appropriate and accurate information to patients, carers, family, friends and colleagues. Engaging and listening carefully and actively, and responding using appropriate
language and accessible communication methods and skills. Developing communication skills to enable and support difficult conversations, acknowledging cultural differences and professional boundaries.